Fairness is the only standard

Think about it....

It's somewhat inconvenient in the modern world to have to carry around your principles chiselled into tablets of stone. The hand baggage weight allowance of most airlines would prohibit such handy portability in any case. In a bygone age it was a way of lending some permanence and therefore lasting importance to principles as they were handed down.

Nowadays. there is little that is permanent. Words can be deleted with the click of a mouse or the touch of a screen. People (it seems) can be cancelled for daring to say something that inflames the sensibilities of a group of random zealots.

So how do we perpetuate principles that stand the test of time: That live beyind the keyboard, or that outlast the often crassly repeated quotes freely and ernestly liked on social media by the many. The answer is we simply support ideas and principles that are grounded in common sense and intuitively right - we live them.

Now there are many things that tick these boxes but they are sometimes diluted or lost over time. Or even worse are trampled over by thoughtless nit-picking bureaucratic process (yep - sorry guys - but I am talking about you HR) So, I figured I might repeat two in particular here ..... just to lend a helping hand to the "force" - which I hope is with you all; as it were.

There are two guiding principles that I have found to be the most useful;

Do the right thing

Do what is fair.

If you remember nothing else - then remember these.

They exclude doing things for wrong or just plain bad reasons, or being seduced by convenience into taking shortcuts, or succumbing to flawed logic that suits the purveyor or giver, or falling for cognitive bias in your thinking or following process just for the sake of it.

Nope. These two principles over-ride everything. They are the "get out of jail" card, the benefit of your ability to apply reason.

Whtever the question, the answer usually lies in the final test - am I being fair? / is this the right thing to do?

In business, as well as in life, we are often confronted by people issues. Some are difficult to deal with. Process and precedent weigh havily upon us and they often come up with an answer that doesnt feel right. It might be a grievance or a dispute or even a disciplinary process. Even a decision that will affect the career or wellbeing of a team member. Reasonableness is the acid test here.

I am not saying that being fair or doing what is right is a soft option. Often the right thing to do is a dismissal. Let them find something that suits them better - even if process might allow another course of action. Alternatively, the right thing to do might be to give them another chance - because that is fair... despite the process leading you to another conclusion. We are not necessarily talking about kindness. That is something else.

Similarly, in a commercial dispute you are expected to maximise the outcome for whoever you represent. It is however, helpful to have a sense of fairness in seeking an outcome that you can look back at and live with knowing that you ended up doing the right thing.

When you look at yourself in the mirror - the only questions are ... was I fair... did I do the right thing. If you answer yes to both of these questions then you team, your partners, your customers will appreciate that your moral compass is well calibrated and your integrity is beyond doubt.

Fairness has many followers and few detractors.